A broadcast receiver of this kind is known from the magazine Funkschau August 1992 I Spezial, pp. 22 to 26. Audio signals derived from the broadcast signal received in this broadcast receiver are processed in an audio circuit. Furthermore, RDS and TMC data is derived from the broadcast signal. RDS stands for Radio Data System and TMC for Traffic Message Channel. TMC is a functional extension of RDS. RDS-TMC data is transmitted as digital encoded data with the broadcast signal. TMC enables the listener, for example to fetch traffic messages stored in a broadcast receiver as often as desired before or after the start of driving, to listen to traffic messages selectively in conformity with the relevant route, and to have traffic message spoken in the listener's native language, regardless of the relevant national language. Hereinafter, the RDS-TMC data will also be referred to in general as encoded messages. It is also feasible to transmit not only encoded traffic messages but also weather reports and other messages by way of RDS-TMC data or similar encoded data. The encoded messages received are applied to a storage device which applies control data to a control circuit in response thereto. A storage device contains a data file for forming traffic messages and may be, for example a semiconductor memory connected to the control circuit, a semiconductor memory on a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. From the cited document it is known that the control data constitutes designations in an orthographic notation of a language which are to be output as speech. Orthographic is to be understood to mean herein after the correct spelling of designations of a language. In order to enable the designations to be output as speech, the control circuit can access, for example a stored digitally encoded speech signal file.
It is an object of the invention to provide a broadcast receiver offering fast access to the control data stored.
This object is achieved by a broadcast receiver of the kind set forth in that a reading device for reading data from an external, first storage device and a second storage device are coupled to the control circuit, and that the first storage device is intended for the storage of region-specific control data and the second storage device for the storage of traffic-specific control data.
The first storage device forms part of an external, transportable storage medium, for example a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. When use is made of a chip card, containing the first storage device (for example, a ROM), region-specific control data is read from the chip card by means of a reading device (card reader) so as to be transferred to the control circuit. Region-specific control data is data used in a given region (for example, location names for the region Germany). Traffic-specific control data contains designations which are used in more than one region and relates, in a substantially language-dependent manner, to traffic (for example, Autobahnkreuz (highway intersection), Sud (South), Bahnhof (railway station). Traffic-specific control data is also to be understood to include result-specific control data. Such result-specific control data contains, for example parts of traffic messages without region-specific control data (for example, "10 km Stau" (10 km traffic jam)). The second storage device is coupled to the control circuit and serves to store the traffic-specific control data. The second storage device may be, for example a semiconductor memory and be built into the RDS-TMC receiver. The access to the control data of the second storage device is faster than the access to the control data of the first storage device. On the other hand, a chip card containing the first storage device can be more readily exchanged and more simply adapted to changing circumstances. Because the first storage device does not contain traffic-specific data, moreover, it has more storage capacity.
In order to reduce the data file, the two storage devices are intended to store given, each time different control data under a respective escape code. The control circuit is arranged to apply, after reception of control data containing at least one escape code, at least one escape code to the first or the second storage device and to receive the control data stored under the escape code.
Both storage devices store control data associated with an escape code. Control data associated with such an escape code contains frequently used designations, for example "Koln" (Cologne), "AnschluBstelle") (junction) etc. If the control circuit receives control data from the storage device which corresponds to an encoded message and contains at least one escape code, the corresponding message (for example, a traffic message) for a speech synthesizer circuit and/or a display device can be formed only after the control data stored under an escape code has been applied to the control circuit. Because such escape codes require less storage space than the control data, the data file is thus reduced. This is advantageous notably if the broadcast receiver is used for traffic information purposes and the data of a large traffic region (for example, Germany) is stored in a storage device. A further advantage of the invention consists in that suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code enables minimization of errors which could occur during the building up of the data file and would become visible or audible via the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit. A suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code is to be understood to mean herein a selection of word sequences, words and word parts (designations) from a linguistic point of view.
It may occur that for the formation of the message for the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit the control circuit need access at least one storage device several times in order to read the control data filed under escape codes. This can be explained on the basis of two examples. For the designation "AnschluBstelle Koln-Muhlheim" (junction Cologne-Muhlheim) "12365-Muhlheim" or "78654 43263-Muhlheim" could be stored as control data in a storage device. In the first case the control circuit reads, for example the control data "32987 Koln" for the escape code "12365". Subsequently, the control data (in this case: "AnschluBstelle") must still be read for the escape code "32987" in order to compose the designation. In the second case the control circuit extracts the designations "AnschluBstelle" and "Koln" from at least one storage device under the escape codes "78654" and "42263".
Both storage devices store, under a respective encoded message or an escape code, control data wherefrom a designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one language can be derived. Control data may contain, partly or completely, escape codes which represent a given designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation. These designations may also be designations which do not belong to the first language but are derived from a further language. For example, there is no designation in German for the Dutch region "Twente". If the German language is the first language, for example in the Dutch orthographic notation the region "Twente" would be stored as an orthographic notation in the German language under the corresponding escape code in at least one storage device.
The data reduction becomes significant if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations in several languages are stored in the two storage devices. Apart from the control data of the first language, control data of a further language is then stored under a respective encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device only if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations of the further language deviate from the first language. Such storage of control data of further languages enables a further reduction of the amount of data.
The storage devices contain lists which are associated with storage sections and contain specific control data associated with a respective encoded message, and also an escape list with the escape codes and the respective associated control data. The first storage device contains an escape list with region-specific control data and the second storage device contains an additional escape list with traffic-specific control data.
Furthermore, the first storage device contains a location list for storing location designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language, an area location list for storing area designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language, and a segment location list for storing road segments in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language. The second storage device is arranged to store result designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language. The location list contains location designations (for example, towns) whereas the area location list contains traffic areas (for example, the Ruhr area), administrative areas (for example, Mittelfranken) or tourist areas (for example, Teutoburger Wald); the segment location list contains road segments. The result designations or result-specific control data are stored in a standard phrase list in the second storage device. The location, area location and segment location lists are region-specific lists, whereas the standard phrase list is a result-specific list.
The first storage device could form part of a chip card for use in a card reader. The configuration of such chip cards and their operation are described, for example in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,753, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,499, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,154 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,521. The advantage of such chip cards consists in that in a broadcast receiver they serve to decode traffic messages for a given region, so that they can be readily exchanged when the location or the region changes.
The invention also relates to a module for the processing of encoded messages derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a control circuit which is arranged to
A reading device, arranged to receive an external, first storage device for storing region-specific control data, and a second storage device for storing traffic-specific control data are coupled to the control circuit.
The invention also relates to a chip card for insertion into a card reader for a broadcast receiver or for a module for the processing of encoded messages, derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a first storage device for storing control data with a respective encoded message. In that case the storage device is provided only for the storage of region-specific control data.